Mother claims her daughter nearly drowned when her hair got trapped in hotel swimming pool filter. Picture: Mercury Press

Alex Morgan, from Leeds, West Yorks, was holidaying at the H10 Rubicon Palace in Lanzarote with 35 other friends and family members in April when her daughter Darcey’s hair apparently became stuck in the filter.

Unconscious Darcey needed CPR after being dragged underwater for two minutes and then was rushed to hospital with head injuries, low oxygen levels and lung damage.

Darcey was dragged underwater for two minutes and then was rushed to hospital with head injuries, low oxygen levels and lung damage. Picture: Mercury PressSource:Supplied

Ms Morgan also claims a nine-year-old boy’s shorts were shredded when they became stuck in the filter just two days before her daughter nearly drowned. Despite the filter being reported to the hotel four times, Ms Morgan claims nothing was done.

“This was the worst day of our lives and we’re struggling to come to terms with it,” Ms Morgan said.

“Darcey had been swimming in the pool with her cousin when her hair became struck and it was only after a man noticed she had been under the water for a while that she was found.

“The man was joined by a woman who was trying to pull Darcey’s head free, which resulted in her losing four clumps of hair. But that’s nothing because hair grows back, life doesn’t.

“She had been underwater for at least two minutes when she was finally freed and was pulled unconscious from the pool and given CPR, before being rushed to hospital.”

Six-year-old Darcey was on a family vacation in Lanzarote in the Canary islands when the five-star holiday turned into a nightmare. Picture: Mercury PressSource:Supplied

After Darcey was taken to hospital, Ms Morgan said “at least three” other people told her they had reported the filter over the past two weeks.

“The hotel showed no sympathy and we had no apology. The manager just said that in 15 years of that swimming pool being there, they had never had any problems.

“The woman who helped save her was pulling and pulling with so much force and luckily we got her out. We had no help from the hotel staff.”

Following the incident, Ms Morgan took to social media to share images of Darcey in her hospital bed in a bid to warn others of the dangers of pool filters. It has since been shared more than 64,000 times and liked more than 10,000 times.

She has now been contacted by numerous other families who have had similar scares.

“I’ve had so many people contacting me to say a similar thing happened to them on their holiday,” Ms Morgan said.

“One person said their son had to have an operation following an accident with the pool filter on a different occasion in a different resort.”

Ms Morgan has received a full refund for the holiday from tour operator First Choice, but she said she would really like to see the pool closed down.

“I’ve received a refund, but that’s by-the-by. I don’t care about the money, I want to spread awareness of this and perhaps save another family from going through the same thing.”

Some of Darcey’s hair which was ripped from her head in the horror incident. Picture: Mercury PressSource:Supplied

But while Ms Morgan claims the incident with the nine-year-old boy’s shorts was reported to the hotel four times, First Choice claim it was not reported to them and there is no suggestion that he was a First Choice customer.

“We were extremely concerned to hear of this incident — which is the only one of its kind which was reported directly to us about this resort — and as soon as we were made aware we started a full and thorough investigation together with relevant external pool experts and our hotel partner,” a spokesman for the TUI Group, which includes First Choice, said.

“We continue to ensure that the health and safety of all of our holiday-makers is our top priority.”

Now a month after the incident, Ms Morgan said Darcey is doing well and her hair is growing back. But the family is determined to educate others about the dangers of pool filters.

“We had never heard of or thought of the risk posed by these filters until it happened to Darcey.

“Me and Gareth don’t want any more parents to go through what we experienced that day.”

The Rubicon Palace hotel were contacted for comment.